What is hate crime?

A hate crime is a criminal act which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a person's:

race, ethnic origin, or nationality

religion

sexual orientation

disability

gender identity

What is the difference between a hate crime or hate incident?

A hate crime is a criminal offence where anyone believes the victim has been targeted due to any one of the factors identified above.

Hate incidents are incidents that do not constitute a criminal offence but cause alarm, distress or harassment where anyone believes the victim has been targeted due to any one of the factors above. Some hate incidents may become crimes if the numbers of incidents escalate.

Examples of hate crime or hate incidents

Hate crimes and incidents can be committed against a person or property and can include:

offensive or dangerous substances being posted through the letterbox

harassment

bullying

threats

malicious communications such as offensive mail, text messages or emails

verbal abuse

physical violence and assault

graffiti

damage to your house or car

arson

Hate crimes and incidents can also be directed at whole communities through:

desecration of graveyards

vandalism of places of worship

offensive graffiti in public places

acts of terrorism

Further help and support

If you or someone you know has been a victim of a hate crime or incident further help and support is available from: